Flip to back
Flip to front
The Kommandant's Girl Paperback – February 27, 2007
See all 7 formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Hardcover, Large Print
"Please retry"
|
—
|
$80.34 | $18.52 |
$11.16
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
I'd like to read this book on Kindle
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.
|
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. With luminous simplicity, Jenoff's breathtaking debut chronicles the life of a young Jewish bride during the Nazi occupation of Kraków, Poland, in WWII. Emma Bau, a shy librarian, escapes the city's Jewish ghetto with the aid of the underground resistance movement that Jacob, her activist husband, has already joined. Emma assumes a new gentile identity as Anna Lipowski and goes to live with Jacob's elderly aunt, a wealthy Catholic widow who has also taken in Lukasz Izakowicz, the only surviving child of a famous rabbi and his murdered wife. As Anna, Emma catches the eye of Kommandant Georg Richwalder, second in charge of the General Government, at a dinner party. The handsome Nazi is so impressed by her German language skills (and her beauty) that he asks her to become his personal assistant. Emma accepts, hoping to secure valuable information for the resistance, but the chemistry between them presents challenges that test her loyalties to Jacob and her heart. This is historical romance at its finest. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Emma had lived in the closed orthodox Jewish community of Krakow, Poland, until she began working at the university library and met Jacob. He sweeps her off her feet, and they marry on the eve of the Nazi invasion. Jacob immediately leaves to join the Jewish underground, and Emma returns to her family, now locked in the Jewish ghetto. Jacob provides false papers, enabling Emma to become Anna Lipowski and move in with his Catholic aunt Krysia, posing as her niece. Krysia works for the underground while maintaining her status as a leader in the arts community. During a dinner party, Emma/Anna is introduced to Nazi Kommadant Richwalder. Smitten, he asks her to come work for him. She agrees, knowing such access will aid the underground, and even becomes intimate with the enemy to gather information. In her moving first novel, Jenoff offers an insightful portrait of people forced into an untenable situation and succeeds in humanizing the unfathomable as well as the heroic. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
More About the Author
Pam Jenoff is the author of several novels, including The Kommandant's Girl, which received widespread acclaim, earned her a nomination for the Quill Awards and became an international bestseller. She previously served as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department in Europe, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney at a large firm and in-house. She received her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, her masters degree in history from Cambridge University and her bachelors degree in international affairs from The George Washington University. Pam Jenoff lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school. Pam would love to skype with your book club or library group!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By
Long Ago
on August 1, 2007
Format: Paperback
1 Comment
Sending feedback...
For me this was a four-star book up until about the last 50-60 pages or so, at which point I'd have to drop to 3 1/2 stars. The plot is simple and straightforward. There were a few twists along the road, but nothing extraordinary and perhaps even a bit predictable. I thought the protagonist Emma/Anna was well developed and the story was well supported by other applicable characters. I got to know about Emma/Anna, her life and the great personal conflicts that erupted for her with the onset of the German invasion of Poland.
However, as the final pages of the book played out the author inserted a few occurrences that were just too coincidental. The types of coincidences that make me just role my eyes and say "oh, please", situations that were just a bit over-the-top and contrived, even for a novel. For the sake of those who wish to read the book I won't give details because they effect how the story ends, or course.
All in all, Jenoff did a nice job for this being her first book. Her style is very reader-friendly. I would recommend it if you're looking for a quick read with substance and a good story.
However, as the final pages of the book played out the author inserted a few occurrences that were just too coincidental. The types of coincidences that make me just role my eyes and say "oh, please", situations that were just a bit over-the-top and contrived, even for a novel. For the sake of those who wish to read the book I won't give details because they effect how the story ends, or course.
All in all, Jenoff did a nice job for this being her first book. Her style is very reader-friendly. I would recommend it if you're looking for a quick read with substance and a good story.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By
Robert Leonardo
on May 14, 2007
Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase
1 Comment
Sending feedback...
I may be prejudiced as I am already a big fan of historical fiction, especially anything that takes place in the 1930's and 1940's. However, I think any readers who enjoy taught realistic story telling will enjoy this book. Very believable characters thrown into very dramatic situations is what great fiction is all about. Though simply drawn, our heroine is someone that is easily liked, and easy to root for. The fact that her struggles in the book literally mirror those of the entire human race during what may be the turning point of our history makes it all the more interesting and consuming. It is also worth remembering that it was only 60 years ago which is not that far back at all.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By
M.S.F.
on July 10, 2007
Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
..and it took me awhile to figure out why I didn't. After all, I enjoy all types of books: romance, drama, history, fiction and non-fiction. I also found the author's intentions admirable. I guess the problem is that it seemed to walk down the middle of all these genres without mastering any of the reasons I read a particular type of book. While its an easy engaging read, it just didn't hold up to some of the wonderful non-fiction books out there that tell basically the same story. Yes, to some degree that's what historical fiction is, but this book didn't add anything new in terms of plot or character compared to other stories I've read set against the same time period (fiction and non-fiction). Probably not the greatest analogy, but have you ever had a favorite book that was made into a movie? While an enjoyable passing of time, you find the film version lacking the character and plot development found in the original telling. That's how I felt after reading this. That being said, I wouldn't not recommend this book and admittedly might have rated it higher if I didn't go in with such high expectations or other books to compare it to. As I read this book, I kept thinking back to another that I would recommend above this one: "In My Hands" By Irene Gut Opdyke
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By
Judy Gasperini
on May 4, 2008
Format: Paperback
Comment
Sending feedback...
This book had me from the first page--I read it in less than 2 days. Ms. Jenoff creates a tale that could very well have been true in the days of Nazi-occupied Poland. Her story is of a courageous young Jew who would do anything to save her captured family and her husband serving in the resistance. Her insight into Anna's (aka Emma's)thoughts and feelings are so real that the book seems like an autobiography. Her descriptions of war-time Krakow, Poland helped me imagine what it must have been like for the Jews--a paranoia like no other. It is an amazing story. I can't wait to read her next book.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
Jill Hart
VINE VOICE on June 14, 2007
Format: Paperback
Comment
Sending feedback...
In Pam Jenoff's novel The Kommandant's Girl, newlyweds Emma and Jacob have only been married for three weeks when Nazis invade their homeland of Poland. Jacob soon disappears to aid the resistance and Emma is left to pack up and move back in with her parents in the Jewish Ghetto.
Emma is awakened in the middle of the night and smuggled out of the Ghetto to reside with her husband's Catholic cousin, Krysia, in Krakow. Emma takes on the persona of Anna Lipowski, a gentile woman recently arrived to visit Krysia. Soon after arriving, Anna is introduced to Kommandant Richwalder, a striking man she knows she should hate, but is nevertheless drawn to.
Kommandant Richwalder offers Anna a position as his personal assistant. In order to keep up appearances as a gentile and Nazi supporter, Anna accepts the position. She earns the Kommandant's trust, providing information she gleans as his assistant to the resistance.
Anna is then asked by the resistance leaders to get even closer to the Kommandant to learn what plans are in place for the Jews of Krakow. Will Anna put her safety -- and her marriage -- in danger for the cause of the greater good?
The Kommandant's Girl is a riveting tale of what life was like for the Jewish population of Poland during the Nazi occupation. Jenoff is a gifted writer who brings the character of Emma/Anna alive, develops a sympathetic character in the Kommandant and weaves a tale that won't let the reader put it down.
Emma is awakened in the middle of the night and smuggled out of the Ghetto to reside with her husband's Catholic cousin, Krysia, in Krakow. Emma takes on the persona of Anna Lipowski, a gentile woman recently arrived to visit Krysia. Soon after arriving, Anna is introduced to Kommandant Richwalder, a striking man she knows she should hate, but is nevertheless drawn to.
Kommandant Richwalder offers Anna a position as his personal assistant. In order to keep up appearances as a gentile and Nazi supporter, Anna accepts the position. She earns the Kommandant's trust, providing information she gleans as his assistant to the resistance.
Anna is then asked by the resistance leaders to get even closer to the Kommandant to learn what plans are in place for the Jews of Krakow. Will Anna put her safety -- and her marriage -- in danger for the cause of the greater good?
The Kommandant's Girl is a riveting tale of what life was like for the Jewish population of Poland during the Nazi occupation. Jenoff is a gifted writer who brings the character of Emma/Anna alive, develops a sympathetic character in the Kommandant and weaves a tale that won't let the reader put it down.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Customer Images
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
